Abstract: Abstract: Objective To explore the effect of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress on ovarian follicular development in mice. Methods The model mice were divided into control group (n=4) and tunicamycin group (n=6). The endoplasmic reticulum stress activation was induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of tunicamycin, which was the classical endoplasmic reticulum stress inducer. The marker gene HSPA5, CHOP and ATF4 related to unfolded protein response (UPR) were detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and which was to identify whether ER stress was activated. H&E staining was used to determine the effect of endoplasmic reticulum stress on ovarian follicular development in mice. Results Compared with the control group, tunicamycin treatment significantly increased the expression of UPR related genes and significantly reduced the number of ovarian follicles. Conclusion The activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress significantly inhibits the mouse ovarian follicular development.

Key words: endoplasmic reticulum, stress, ovarian follicle, mice, inbred C57BL, unfolded protein response